Elected School Chiefs Mean Limited Choices in Miss.

This newspaper for just as many years has editorially supported the concept – not because elected superintendents are automatically inferior to their appointed counterparts but because elections greatly restrict local school districts in choosing their leaders.

A bill requiring appointed superintendents in all Mississippi districts probably has more momentum this legislative session than ever before. Both House and Senate education committee chairmen support the change, and it appears to have broad support.

Part of the reason is that in recent years some elected county superintendents have taken a more aggressive posture in legislative races, supporting or opposing candidates based on their stances on education. This hasn’t set well with many legislators. But political conflicts aside, there are genuine advantages to moving to an all-appointed system.